Life is a Series of Bets
by The Cuboid
Summary: Which chip will she bargains on? Rin will have to lose either one or the other. Will she chose pride over love? Based on Ikasama Casino.
1. Chapter 1

Rin woke with the comfortable warmth of the sun shining on her. Unwillingly, she lifted her scrunched eyes, the rays penetrating through the window was as bright as ever.

Seeing she was awake, the man with his hair dyed a dark blue gave her an anxious greeting. "Good morning Rin."

"Mornin' Kaito."

Kaito, the man named himself so, but she doubted it was his real and the suspicion slipped some awkwardness in her addressing. Her indifference towards such matter was always vague, and she was not as uninterested as she pretended to be.

"I say, do you remember where I put my tie?" asked Kaito as he frantically searched the carpeted floor.

"Nay. I was pretty wasted last night." Rin yawned and that was when the dehydration hit her. "Geez I am thirsty."

Kaito dropped what he was doing and hurriedly fetched a cup of water. She downed the contents in a gulp after eying Kaito gratefully.

"Better?" The other man was as gentlemanly as always, this attribute of his charmed Rin but at the same time, she thought him to be too kind.

"Thanks." To repay his favour, Rin helped with his search, they finally found his tie discarded carelessly on a chair.

"How can you even miss something so obvious?" She mocked.

"Sorry for the trouble. You know how I panic when I am in a hurry." Kaito ran his fingers over his hair, looking apologetic while giving a slight bow. "Thank you."

Rin stared at the clock to confirm briskness of his attitude, indeed, the lateness explained everything. "Hurry on. You boss must be missing you."

"Well—"Kaito looked reluctant.

"I will clean up the mess."

"Alright, I will be leaving." Kaito slid his card over a device, a click was heard as the door unlocked. "Thank you so much. Really."

"Haha. I could say the same to you." Rin muttered.

Kaito was an endless pot of money for her to exploit. Once every week, he would come back to the casino to find her, they gambled, she won most of the time; he would feel upset and they made up by drinking. While enjoying her free cocktail—paid by Kaito-she would listen to his rant on how miserable life was with every aspect, great or small, planned by his parents.

Kaito's case was the typical story of rich elite, a doctor in training who could not bear the stress from his job and the expectations for his success. To top the situation, he was the son of two well known doctors, he was afraid of disappointing as well as being compared to.

Ironically, Kaito's kindly heart was the cause of his greatest worries. He had a secret part time as a back alley doctor, volunteering his skills as an abortionist to help unfortunate women who could afford the fees. Who knew what the consequences would be if he was caught?

To Rin, Kaito's back story sounded unreal and was something she could neither comprehend nor feel empathy to. Though, she listened with faked attentiveness and forced consolations. If Kaito knew, he had acknowledged their inability to connect and had kept his observations to himself. Besides, he seemed satisfied to have someone to rant to, as long as she kept his secrets.

Rin prejudiced him as sheltered, pampered, a lucky man walking on an asphalt road but still could whine about his fortunes. She thought he should either let his parents disown him or quit his illegal part time.

"But things cannot be that easy, can they?" Rin mumbled to herself as she tidied the stacks of card on the table.

"Hooray an ace!" she exclaimed as she flipped a random card to its other side. "Well, let my luck flourish."

Rin knew she was lying to herself, she recognized every card in that particular stack, as well as many more, her life depended on it the capability to do so.

Having an eidetic memory was a good advantage in gambling, she favour card games and had learnt how to differentiate them through the slight difference of the patterns, how they were not perfectly centred, a fold mark, etc.

"Just kidding. I knew you were the ace. "Rin told the card. "What godly ability I possess."

No matter how she phrase or glorify her cheating, she felt pathetic.

"Room service." A voice came from the other side of the door. Rin returned the ace in its rightful box and left with it.

/

"Hey, where's your handsome doctor? Had he already left the bed when you woke?" The speaker was a dealer working in the casino, she went by the name GUMI.

Rin shrugged and the teasing. "Well, contrary to your belief, we have never slept together. We just drink and play cards."

"Yeah, yeah. So true." GUMI sniggered. "What else can a woman do with a man in a hotel room?"

"Like I said, drinking and playing with cards." Undoubtedly, the closed door business induced a well founded suspicion from GUMI. Rin hoped that the joke will soon become repetitive if she hears the same denial.

"I know a lie when I hear one."

Rin rolled her eyes, the woman was not going to let go so easily. "Let's have breakfast. I am hungry." She switched topics instead.

"Sorry darling, I am on a diet." GUMI rejected the invitation.

"Don't starve yourself out for such idiotic reasons." Rin insisted.

"True for you, but I will pass."

"You're no fun."

"See you later."

Rin felt lonely to see her friend leave, they always had their meals together, but the woman was avoiding eating anything recently. She missed her potty mouth.

"I'll have a cake than." She decided something sweet—preferably yellow-would be the right thing to cheer her up.

/

The pastry shop was full of alluring cakes, Rin agonized over the choice.

"Banana or mango? Butterscotch looks nice." She had been through the same question for some time. "Should I try a new flavour or do with my usual choice?" She could never see an end to it.

The bell rang with a soft twinkle as a young man entered the shop. "Pops. Give me the banana choco."The new customer had taken out one of her potential candidates, but she still had the leisure to ponder as there were still many others to chose from.

"Hey are you done yet?" But unfortunately, the old owner urged her to get on with it. "Every single time-"

"Sorry. Mister." Rin said in a mock apology.

"You want me to pick for you?" suggested the impatient old man like he always did.

"Bring out your best!"

The old man picked a mango cake randomly and packed it into the box. "Here you go missy."

She paid the money and left in a flurry to catch up with the previous customer, she had wanted to meet him and luckily he appeared early or she would have to wait awkwardly-for perhaps, hours.

"Hey Len! Wait up."

Rin had an interest in the man, they were former classmate, they took the same music classes together and found many common grounds. Though, she did not think it was a crush, not yet. She did not have the expected insipid dreams of a school girl or any sentiments of hero worship of his many charms. To put it simply, she liked him but it was not love.

Their interest was mutual. He laughed if she said something endearingly witty and enjoyed her sarcasm while she played along with his flirtatious behaviour and cynical jokes.

"Hello Rin, what a coincidence." Len gave her a sunny smile.

"You know it's not," Rin retorted.

"If I don't say so, I am sure you will be insulted."

"My pride is not that delicate."

"I am sure it isn't."

"I saw you at the Ditzi hall last week. How long have you been dancing?" Ditzi Hall was a popular dance club downtown. Being a common goer, Len the newcomer stood out like a sore thumb to her.

"Oh. That was a whim of mine."

"I don't believe you. I insist the truth."

"It's a secret."

"I smell something fishy here." She gestured him to wait with her left hand while tapping her forehead with another, closing her eyes with a look of concentrating, Rin announced: "My woman told me it's a girl!"

"Jelous?" Len winked playfully.

"Yes. Yes I am." Rin laughed with the same playfulness. "Hey let's sit there." She suggested by pointing on a park bench.

"Let the woman lead." Len agreed and plopped down on the bench.

"I thought it is the other way."

"It's a strategy of mine, to score girls by playing a feminist. I favour it too knowing how useful it is."

"I see. You enlighten me as always."

Rin sat close next to Len and stared at the distant street, the scene was dominated with skyscrapers announcing the monopoly and importance of rich companies in her city.

Strangely, she enjoyed the monotonous bustle of shoes on pavement and the rumbling of the vehicles, she loved the hubbub during the mornings as they made her feel at home.

She also loved the city nightly persona, which would be a chaos of neon lights and restless night wanderers, slinking from a bar to another, the economy of the city was sustained by its business of night clubs, gambling centres and casinos.

"You like banana choco?" asked Len as he shoved a greedy mouthful of the cake into his mouth.

"Don't laugh, but I like my food yellow. So yeah."

"Amusing." Trying to meet Rin's request, Len suppressed his giggle. "Even mustard?"

"Yes, even mustard. We go hush-hush about this. Promise?"

"I swear."

"That's reassuring. So you love the flavour? Choco banana."

"It's my favourite."

"Which means this foiled my plan of trading with you?"

"Why no. If you want to." Len offered her his cake while spooning hers.

"Take that." Rin told the cake as she gave the chiffon and cream a sloppy scoop, she mimicked Len's way of eating and choked in the process.

"Do I really eat with that much gusto?" Len blushed at the realization of her implication.

"Pretty much." She said between coughing fits.

They finished the cake and Len was about to leave, Rin pulled at his sleeve. "Can you come to the casino tonight?"

"It's not that I am busy—"

"I'll buy you dinner. And the roulette chips."

"Well, if you insist. But not the chips. "

"See you then."

"Yeah. See you soon."

/


	2. Chapter 2

Len's mother was an attractive woman, whose youthful beauty and daring attitude made her a rising star in the movie industry. But unfortunately, her glamour was her downfall, causing her to be followed by many suitors. They ranged from big-shot actors and famous directors to the common staff and male colleagues.

For she was still young and reckless, his mother got used to seducing men and slept with them often. Being the typical case, she didn't even know who his father was. Her whole career met a dead end when she obstinately refused the abortion. It was a scandalous event, marring her reputation and the roles that were supposedly hers were passed on to other actors. Being the discreet society of the past, she forever wore the mark of a shameless whore.

Raising a child was costly even in those days, his mother savings were only enough to afford a cheap apartment in a boarding house. Len was practically born and raised there.

A week ago, Len had been searching for the new owner of his former home, and from the landlady, he found out that the mysterious person who rented the room did not live in it.

The landlady gave him an email address, the only link to the renter. Len forwarded a request of visiting the room supplemented by sentimental reasons and was more than happy to receive a positive reply.

He could not help but relapse into old memories as it had been a while since he walked in the streets of his old neighborhood. Ten years had molded the surroundings into an appearance alien to him. No longer did he recognize any trace of the bakery shop he was so fond of, and he looked at the new K mart in its place sadly.

They say memories come in sets of smells and it was true in his case. Len's impression of childhood is the air freshener in the living room, smelly old socks, his mother's sweet perfume and the smell of freshly baked bread.

As promised, the young woman had arrived at their rendezvous point. She was wearing a hoodie that hid her luxurious crop of shocking green hair, but the signature twin tails that poked out were a telltale sign of her identity. Furthermore, Len recognized the slim outline of her frame.

"Thank you for coming here, Miss Miku. I hope I did not cause much trouble."

Miku was a contemporary pop idol with a successful singing career, so she must have squeezed this into what little free time there was in her packed schedule.

Len thought Miku's songs to be the usual uninspired pop-songs, but her singing voice was worth listening to as her unique pitch could not be found anywhere. Upon discovering her identity, which was an instant recognition after the reveal over their correspondence, Len had been worried that he would feel awkward meeting her.

"Pleasure meeting you. Don't look so apologetic. I felt bad for missing our first appointment at the Ditzi Hall."

She threw out her hands casually to establish the handshake of their acquaintanceship. Len admired her brisk but friendly attitude, he wondered how genuine it actually was. If that was an act, then she had trained hard in the field.

"No hard feelings?" asked Miku.

"None." He took her smaller hand with the same casualness, and gave it a steady shake.

"I am surprised. It's the norm for people to act stiff around me." Miku raised her eyebrow in appreciation.

"I am not that self-deprecating type. No offence intended."

"None taken. You are quite modest actually. But you know, you acted like I am normal given my reputation."

"I doubt I am the only one."

"Yes, but it's a rare quality to see in strangers nowadays."

"So, despite all the glamour, you have a hopeful need to be treated normally?"

"Nah, I would miss the attention."

Miku honestly made him laugh as it clashed with the theory that famous personalities are haughty hypocrites, which he believed. Though she had the first quality—every idol needed the same egoistic flare to look attractive – Len could hardly blame her for it.

Miku said jokingly: "Did that degrade my impression?"

"No, that made me like you more." Len was aware that his daring statement had breached the comfort line, but he complied with his flirtatious instinct.

"Nice try. But try changing the wording. It had a dry quality to it." To his relief, Miku was accustomed to his remark as dealing with these advances was the nature of her job.

"We are here." They came to the boarding house, albeit the recent renovation, Len could see it as the same building he had once called home.

"Oh. I almost missed it," said Miku.

Unceremoniously, Len walked through the doorway he had not seen since a decade ago, he led Miku up the stairs. She said she had been here once, but he knew she couldn't remember the way. After all, she was not a _certain_ person.

The room was located at the end of the left corridor. Len compared how the bare cemented floor now had tiles on it. He also noticed that the walls were painted with a newer shade of white, in place of the flaking, yellowish walls.

Despite some of the changes, Len noted that the doors remained the same, a latch on both sides, which meant someone could lock them inside out and vice versa. His mother often locked young Len in the apartment when she left for work. For they reminded him of the seclusion, he could still view these kind of doors with animosity.

"How did you land yourself with my room?" Len asked Miku.

"Why. Anything can be solved with money."

Len had not forgotten that she was filthy rich, but that was not the explanation he sought. "But what worth do you see in buying such a rundown room?"

"Oh, you mean that." Miku paused uncharacteristically and seemed to be thinking about the appropriate explanation. "To put it simply, I was, I mean I am…your mother's fan."

"You seem unclear about the tenses," Len heard himself say, as he was shocked to know that the pop idol who topped the charts had declared herself a fan of his mother, the small starlet who lost her brightness on the way to the top.

"I don't know what to think of her since…you know...the marriage and the things that happened after it."

Len nodded knowingly, for the greatest surprise was not that that Miku admired his mother, but the fact that she still continued to do so after how she had been labeled criminal after a particular incident.

"She was my greatest inspiration. It's sad that she had…fallen so low…I'm confused of what to think of her now," Miku mumbled in a low, shaky tone.

"But you bought our room. That says a lot."

"Well, it was a stupid lingering sentiment that made me do it. I just cannot bring myself to completely distrust her. She was not someone who would attempt murder." Len winced at the blunt way Miku said the word 'murder'.

"I am sorry." Miku noticed Len's discomfort. "I should not be so insensitive."

"It's alright."

"No, no, I am so sorry—"

"Thank you. Thank you for believing in her. Still." Len cut in. He was still elated to find somebody—at last—was on his mother's side. In contrast, he cursed himself as he was a disloyal son who was too afraid to reach out his helping hand to her when she needed it most.

The guilt stabbed at him for its sharpness had not dulled after a full ten years. Len accepted the pain for it was the time to face his past now, after all it was the reason he came back to this city.

As if that would compensate for what's been lost, he told himself.

"Aw, that's sweet of you." Miku tried to sound playful but the tearful eyes told him that he had just disarmed the most popular idol's confident façade.

Len's feelings were a vague mix for he was amused, flattered to see a hidden side of the celebrity, but was jealous of how she trusted in his mother; the faith had swayed but had not been destroyed. Soon, the feeling of regret and self-hatred followed.

He cancelled out his idle thoughts by focusing on the action of dislodging the difficult bolt. The padlock was new but the ancient bolt remained, and its stubbornness was the same after all those years.

"Is it broken?" Miku had returned to her normal self, and for a moment, Len wondered if the sudden outburst was an act. It was not like people get emotional in the presence of somebody they had just met.

"No, you just need some skills to do it."

It opened instantly after Len's ingenious way to deal with the bolt from different angle. The door grunted defiantly at his push.

"Here we go."

A musty smell attacked their noses as they stepped into the dusty room, but despite that unpleasant welcome, Len was feeling nostalgic as he took in the area. The familiar furniture still bore the manifestation of his mother's arrangement: cost-saving and space-saving. It made the space look destitute. But, it didn't divert much from the image in his memory…it was still the room he always knew.

"Sorry to disrupt your melodramatic reminiscence, but please mark that I will retrieve the keys at six, okay?"

"Six. I got it," Len said absently as he was distracted by distant memories triggered by his old apartment. When he was little, he tried to erase the forlorn void with his boisterous shouting and laughter for he was sure that the gloomy-looking room was the root of his mother's unhappiness.

"Mummy, if I grow up. I will buy you a much, much bigger house so you will no longer feel sad."

Len remembered himself saying that. If his mother was not dead now, would he be fulfilling the promise that had sprouted from his childish antics? His mother looked so happy when he had said that too…

Len stared at the rusty set of keys Miku had given him. There was a time when he saw them daily, hanging on a homemade key hanger of nailed board.

Now that he had the room to himself, what should he do with it?

 **A short note to credit my beta reader,** **Nerumi H for turning my sloppy piece of work into something more bearable.**

 **Thank you for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

Rin took down the suitable candidates in her closet and flung them on bed. After inspecting once more, she had narrowed the choices down to a few dresses in the colour that matched her most—yellow. Now, she only needed to ponder on which shade would be best.

With Rin's customary pondering, the preparation took her a full hour, but she was satisfied with the result. She picked herself a low cut one piece with artistic laces that trailed the cloth, complimented by a choker and hand accessories—an extravagant display of her winnings in the casino—and she was ready.

GUMI was smoking at the vacant rest area on the second floor of the casino, and being directly above the spacious vault where the heart of the casino stood, she had a birdlike advantage over the hubbub of its customers. She grinded the rest of her cigarette on the dustbin cover while she called out for Rin's attention: "Up here."

The blond skipped up the stairs as quickly as a jackrabbit.

"What took you so long?"

"Fashion eats up all your time." Rin twirled around to show off her ensemble, hoping for an agreement of it.

Spotting GUMI's cold disapproval, Rin clapped her hands together and gave her best smile to appease the other woman. "Sorry for making you wait."

GUMI shrugged. "I knew you were never punctual."

"I brought you a peace offering."

"Lemme guess: another pack of cigarettes."

"Bullseye."

"Fine, just this once. Never again." Rin doubted that, as she knew her friend could always be bribed with the same gift to forget the previous promise. Suppressing the urge to jab her with a witty line that she had prepared beforehand, Rin conspired a smile with GUMI. "Say. Which poor guy have you fetched me this time?"

Rin had to wait for GUMI's dramatic pause before receiving the reply. Rolling the cigarette between her fingers, the dealer pointed its tip at a young man. "See that guy over the craps table? He's one big whale. Been betting on nothing but hundred dollar chips."

"Ooh thanks for the tips. He's good with cards?" Rin rested her cheek on her hands, a striking tilt to indicate her interest in the repetitive rolling of dice. She observed the incessant announcements of the gamblers on the odds they were betting on and the dealer who was busy putting them down.

Unlike card games, the outcome of the dice was fair and square, and there was also no distracting opponents or dealers with Rin's usual sexual appeal. It was something out of her speciality, though she could play the game with an amount of familiarity.

"Not sure. I saw him a few months back. He tried with craps and roulette. I have never seen him with a card."

"So, I guess it's my role to give the charming gentleman an appropriate invitation." GUMI's report was a slight disappointment to Rin but she decided to test her skills in persuading before giving up.

"To what? His doom?" GUMI snickered at the private joke as they descended the stairs. Rin was not sure if it was mockery directed towards her overconfidence or a piteous amusement towards the chosen victim.

"Go on, Miss Con Artist. Lure the poor man over. I'll be waiting." GUMI went back to her own table and pretended to shift the cards.

Rin approached the craps table while the rowdy crowd was cheering after a favourable toss was more than intimidating to her. She did not like the game, for it was one where the odds cannot be cheated over and she hated how some effort was needed to get used to the breakneck pace of the game. Rin did not find any fun in guessing the outcome of the dice.

"Five no feel," announced the dealer. Another aspect Rin disliked was the need of mastering the specific language of game.

Great, how could she bring the man over to her table? He was too entranced with the excitement of the game and Rin decided GUMI was definitely making fun of her. Never again would she trust the dealer to be her look-out. She should have stuck to her old method of choosing easy targets from the men taking a break at the bar, or those watching with obvious boredom at the sidelines.

Rin spared a moment for GUMI's trifling by throwing her a diamond-cutting smile. In response, the dealer waved nonchalantly, but her lips had returned the same malice. Taken aback by the sardonic smile, Rin obstinately refused to show her rage and devised a tactic to counter her ailment.

Rin pardoned herself as she squeezed into the crowd around the table, annoyed by the common crowd the game dragged along. She waited for a correct moment and tossed a hundred bucks onto the table.

"Change please," Rin announced.

The dealer handed her the chips, and she took them with a graceful swipe. For the endeavour of drawing the man's attention, Rin attempted to stand next to him and manoeuvred arduously from the wrong side to the one he was standing at—with the pretence of finding a good spot.

During the next toss of the dice, Rin faked a mistake by placing her chips in the wrong area. As she knew that most people could not resist in advising a newcomer—especially to someone like her, she planned to induce a conversation from the man with this tactic. When the dealer returned her chips from their faulty positions, Rin took the chance of proceeding the plan, cueing her designated prey to explain.

Finally, feeling triumphant, she was able to make the man talk.

Under Rin's artless invitation, the intended target was manipulated to GUMI's table and had emptied his pockets after many insistent tries.

Rin's smile was so innocent that the man blamed his own bad luck for the loss. For she knew that she was his secret prize, Rin blew a kiss at him as compensation and hoped that he was foolish enough to come back for another try.

"Impressive," GUMI said in a deadpan manner that suggested the opposite.

Rin clucked haughtily: "I could say the same to you. Your efforts are laudable." Taking the victory as a chance to mock GUMI, Rin separated a handful of chips from her monstrous pile, offering them to GUMI. "For the table," she said with a satirical grin.

GUMI accepted the chips with neither gratitude nor anger and mumbled conciliation in the admittance of her defeat: "Come on. It's not that I am switching another deck of cards here."

"Oh, did I hear a challenge?" Rin retorted, misunderstanding her motive.

"Pray to Hermes that I won't."

The two women exchanged a long moment of intense gazes before GUMI broke off. "Promise me that you wouldn't fail me even if I did that."

"Sure." Rin accepted the truce that hung between them. The two friends lapsed into good-humoured chuckles before Rin stopped and pointed a finger at the other side of the casino.

"Hey, he's here." Rin's tone was effervescent.

"Who?" GUMI wondered about her friend's peculiar behaviour and squinted her eyes at the indication of her finger—it was for a blond man who was regarding a game at the blackjack table with a careful eye.

"Your new victim? Did you get bored of your gentlemanly doctor?" GUMI make a quick surmise and decided to categorize the man into the same group as Kaito. Rin was fast at getting a new prey. GUMI spoke of her pity for the doctor with the raising of her shoulder and an unhappy scowl.

"No. He's just my friend."

"You have never mentioned him." GUMI was slightly annoyed at the information that Rin kept from her; they had promised to update each other with everything.

"I am sure I have. Remember that conversation a week ago?"

GUMI struggled for the piece from her memory. "You mean that guy in your music class when you were sixteen?

"Exactly."

"Well, I don't invite former classmates to casinos just because I know them."

"Actually, he's pretty good with cards."

GUMI raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Oh my, must be some expert to gain the queen's recognition."

"He is good. With cheating."

"Likewise. So, why are you inviting him into your turf? You don't want him grabbing our potential victims."

"Why? To play with him, of course."


	4. Chapter 4

Len had come to the most prominent casino in the city, hoping to earn some quick cash for his stay there. For such a prosperous and busy place, the daily expenses did not come cheap —food, transportation, hotel bills, they could add up into many zeroes.

Nonetheless, entering the casino symbolized a retrograde step from the new life he was trying to lead. He had broken his pledge to avoid one whenever he could.

He couldn't. That was the problem.

The casino was almost the same as the others: the familiar division between well-dressed crowds and those with their casual Sunday clothes, dealers in formal suits, a roof that hung above him like a cavernous dome, carpeted floor littered with cigarette butts. It played a familiar melody of dinging slot machines, the clacking of chips and dices and the garrulous chatter of people throwing down money.

Len had a habit of putting whatever intrigued him into lyrics, composing his amusement into some form of a poem or song.

The city swirls with desire, activity, and bargaining  
Veterans seek out work, success, dreams, and hope  
In the casino where bartenders, dealers, and gamblers gather  
"Let's bet everything you hold dear"

Voicing outs his final thoughts, Len mocked: "What a petty romanticization of this place."

Amid all the fanciness, it was only an elaborate setup, a snare for many delusional adults who hoped to hit it big however small the chance of a positive outcome may be.

He would not be one of them. A few games and he would be off, Len promised himself.

"Hello." His old friend, Rin, approached him with a sing-song voice.

Len grinned at her, holding his hands out with an open casualness. "Hey, I came as promised. Where's my reward?"

"Do you mean dinner?" Rin shook her head disapprovingly. "Play a round with me first. If you win, I will do anything you want."

Anything I want? Rin had given the suggestion half-jokingly; perhaps it was only an empty promise or a figure of speech—one cannot judge with so little to base on for that's what people call overthinking. But don't these regular chit-chats reveal most of what a person thinks?

"You are bad at keeping promises. I say we have dinner first," said Len.

"Aw, come on. Won't you do what the lady wants?"

"Well, you'll do anything if I win?"

"Sure. If you can," Rin said haughtily, confirming what that was once a seemingly pointless remark.

Len celebrated the early success but he knew not to be too optimistic. The winning part was never that easy. Len knew Rin, she had the biggest cheat in the world—her eidetic memory. For this reason, she favoured card games because most games of this variety could make use of her ability.

Requesting other games for her to play seemed impossible even for Len. Either with her ingenious evasion or manipulation, she would send him back to the starting point of the bargaining. Besides, playing a game in which there were no involvement of cards didn't count as a game with Rin; the idea had been rooted in Len's mind after he had first discovered the challenging fun of a hard-earned victory against her.

"So, so, what do you want to play?" asked Rin while joining him as a spectator at the Blackjack table. "This?"

"You think I would do something that suicidal? I know this is your best game, old friend." Len flashed Rin his charming smile to negotiate for a game in which he had a chance.

Rin could not disregard his request for he knew that she too loved challenges.

Only that he could find a game with the exact condition: a card game which Rin would be bad at. Making the right choice was a crucial aspect for victory.

"Why not?" Rin's protested rhetorically.

"Tsk, tsk, we are playing a more exciting game tonight. Something you have not played for a long time."

"Alright, amuse me. We will do it your way." Rin finally agreed after a long and thoughtful pause.

"Say, is that pretty dealer your friend?" Len referred to GUMI, for he had noticed her association with Rin; both girls had been chatting affably before Rin saw him.

"Yes. Why?"

"The more the merrier. We are inviting her over to our exciting game. Let's see if the lady would mind."

"Perhaps." Rin gave Len a long, curious stare, as if she could make out something by looking at him. "What are we playing?"

"Casino War."

Rin's displeasure was instant, puffing her cheeks into a pout even though she was too old for it. "You must be kidding me. That's like the easiest game in the casino. For beginners."

"You said that you would do it my way."

Seeing that the persuasion didn't work, Len drooped his eyelids, parting his lips into a knowing smile and put his index finger conspiratorially to his lips, leaving an overall contemplative impression. His tone was thoughtful and solemn. "Don't belittle the simplicity of the game."

Rin huffed as her final protest, though she couldn't resist laughing at his faked seriousness. "You're right. The game does have a nostalgic feel to it. Not bad at all."

Len was happy to see her agreeable smile, and now, it was just up to him to entertain her. This had always been their relationship: Rin having a perpetual hunger for undiscovered enjoyment and Len being the innovative cook who prepared the dishes that would satisfy her.

Rin's initial introduction to card games had been because of Len. Except, he was surprised that the girl would hold her interest of it for so long—and even make money out of it— as Rin was a fickle person who could quickly lose interest in even the most engrossing hobbies.

"So, you're back," GUMI stated while resting her head on the table lazily. "With a man." GUMI's laughter was shared with none but herself. "Nice to meet ya, good looking. GUMI at your service."

"Len. Nice to meet you too."

"Bit too formal, yes?" GUMI voiced out her analysis, spying on Rin out of the corner of her eye for any annoyance.

"Please, don't pollute him with your bad manners," retorted Rin.

"Okay, okay. I acknowledge that he's yours. I won't mess with him until you announce otherwise."

"Miss GUMI. Do you mind joining us for a li'l bit?" Len asked the dealer, interrupting the building animosity between the two women.

GUMI measured Len's request and said: "You mean that you are inviting me to your game or something?"

"Yes. If you can come."

"I don't understand. But I guess…" GUMI left her post with a gaily stride, happy to slack off once in a while.

"Are you even allowed to leave?" asked Rin.

"Probably not."

"You're in trouble, missy."

The casino is here to entertain, why not give the guests what they want? Be honoured that I give you this special privilege."

"Thank you." Rin's tone was a mixture of gratitude and humour.

"Don't mention it. So what are we playing?"

"Casino War."

"Sounds simple. I hate doing the thinking. The odds are either this or that."

"When did you last play the game?"

"Three years ago, as dealer."

"When you first worked here?"

"I'm surprised you remember."

"Duh. I can't forget the day when I actually made a friend."

GUMI was touched by the reply and gave Rin a smile reserved only for these special occasions. "Loner."

"Says who?" Then Rin turned to Len who was leading their way. "Do you know where the table for Casino War is?"

"This way please, miladies." Len urged the two women over to a corner where two tables stood for the specific game. One table was occupied while the other was empty. The dealer, an auburn-haired female, was watching them with an open curiosity, wondering whether they would be her next customers or not

Rin looked at Len admiringly. "Wow, that's a quick discovery. You know that the arrangement here is not very orthodox. The owner placed the tables in an inconvenient way. A table game here, a machine there. He insists to keep the customers fairly surprised. Typical."

"I had arrived early but you were busy with your game. So, I was checking out this place in the meantime." Without an apparent pause, Len voiced his curiosity. "You sound like you know the owner well. Why?"

"He's my uncle and I kinda own this place."

"I see why they tolerate your…incessant victories." Len laughed at his own joke, musing at Rin's pout. She was too old for it, but was there an age limit for being cute?

"Hey, I did lose once or twice."

"For show?"

"My, my. You have been undeniably rude tonight."

"Don't be upset."

GUMI, feeling left out from their exclusive conversation, had gone over to say hello to Meiko, the dealer—her fellow worker, drinking buddy, and distant cousin—and gave the prepared excuse of why she was slacking off.

"How I wish I could be as inconsiderate as you. No, no. I am too old for that. You know, once you understand the concept of obligations, they will shackle you to your duties." Meiko gave GUMI an accusing look which one reserved for lecturing their younger relatives.

"You have no right to use the word 'inconsiderate' if you consider how you act when you are drunk. Just—" But then, GUMI's companions had cut in before she could finish her retort.

"Hmm. I'm surprised to see there's a space open. The table is fairly popular you know. Always flocked with newcomers." After finishing voicing her observations, Rin started their game by tossing down a wad of hundred dollar bills. Len fumbled in reach of his share, same with GUMI. Rin grinned at them teasingly. "You need to come prepared when playing with me."

Meiko took in their cash and with a professional swiftness, readied their cards and her own in a matter of seconds. Flipping them over, Rin had won the first round with the highest valued card.

"Let's see who will make the biggest earning tonight. He or she'll be our winner," declared Len while feeling the cards he hid in his sleeve, searching for those which matched the pattern of the deck Meiko was using. This casino had a shrewd preference to a few different decks to make it harder for a cheater like Len.

Victory would be tough to acquire. Circling the tables and collecting the cards had increased his chances of being caught but they were necessary preparations. Though, despite the fuss, swapping cards would be Len's last resort. He would first attempt to use his uncanny abilities to calculate the odds, thus securing the right choices. Besides, it would be a challenge to swap the card in this game without Meiko noticing. (He hoped that bringing GUMI here would be more of a distraction to her and Rin than another pair of eyes on his tricks.)

"It's a tie," announced Meiko whose cards had the same value as GUMI's.

"No war. I'm not too stupid to defy the odds" It was a rational choice; if GUMI had wanted to continue, she would have to add to her bet which would amount to the same sum of her original. As they say: you bet $5 and get a tie. You put up another $5. If you win, you win $5, but if you lose, you lose $10.

"Bet again?" asked Meiko.

Meiko did not seem to know her cards well: the outcome of the game so far indicated no cheating on her part. They were all winning and losing the same.

Unless that was intentional.

Without losing focus on the rapid game, Len's recalled the patchwork of his observation on the outcomes. Though his memory would never be as good as Rin's, he was sure that he utilized it better than her, who had an infatuation with just memorising the backs of cards rather than putting them to a better use. It was a pity and almost childish of her to put so much importance in the practice.

Yes, adding it all up, the cards were slightly favourable for Meiko. In other words, she was winning, albeit slowly. He knew some dealers of her type who invented various ingenious ways to delude the players into thinking that they had lost in a fair play. Was she one such person?

Dealing out another set of cards, it was Len's turn to receive the luck of getting a tie. Meiko smiled at him and said: "Another tie, my dear boy. Go to war?"

"Shit. What's with your cards?" mumbled an unhappy GUMI.

Her complaint rang distantly in Len's mind. He was calculating the possibilities. Bet or not bet? There were only two answers given the simplicity of the game. But simplest was actually the hardest.

Concentrating, Len summed up their wins and losses, hoping to deduce a pattern in Meiko's ploy. And he could see it: the right answers, the correct moments to cheat, the ideal path to victory.


End file.
